Overview
Practical and theoretical investigations of magmatic rock suites, with the goal of understanding the processes that lead to volcanism on Earth.
About this paper
Paper title | Advanced Topics in Igneous Processes |
---|---|
Subject | Geology |
EFTS | 0.0833 |
Points | 10 points |
Teaching period | Semester 1 (On campus) |
Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) | $767.36 |
International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Restriction
- GEOL 422
- Eligibility
This is an honours / first-year MSc paper, and students are expected to have a bachelor's degree in Geology, or equivalent, including undergraduate papers on igneous rocks and geochemistry.
- Contact
- Teaching staff
Co-ordinators: Professor James White or Dr Marco Brenna
- Paper Structure
- Early-semester half- to full-day field trip
- Laboratory session(s), including petrography, SEM-EDS, etc.
- Weekly seminar sessions 1.5 hrs each
Topics:
- Review of petrology and geochemistry
- Context of Otago volcanism
- Geochemistry of Dunedin Volcanic Group (DVG)
- The mantle beneath Otago
- Partial melting and melt extraction
- Magmatic evolution in the DVG
- Volcanic systems
- How central is central volcanism?
- Timescales of volcano growth
- Cryptodomes, sills, dikes
- Joints: thermal and other
- Enclaves, magma mingling, mixing timescales
- Review
- Teaching Arrangements
In person or Zoom seminars, plus self-directed reading and analysis.
- Textbooks
Textbooks are not required for this paper.
- Course outline
Course outline (previous syllabus is indicative of content the next time the paper is taught).
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Lifelong learning, Scholarship, Communication, Critical thinking, Environmental literacy, Information literacy, Research, Self-motivation.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.- Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete this paper will have:
- Thorough understanding of the mechanisms and processes controlling magmatic generation, evolution, ascent and eruption (Scholarship, Interdisciplinary perspective)
- Comprehensive knowledge of the different physical components of a volcano's plumbing system and how they result and modify the landscape (Critical thinking, Self-motivation)
- In-depth knowledge of the interaction between magmas and Earth's surface and the resulting eruptions and effects on society (Environmental literacy)
- Confidence in the ability to design and undertake volcanic-related field and laboratory research and to communicate information and ideas, both orally and in writing, resulting from own work (Research, Communication, Information literacy)
- Assessment details
Assessment = 30% of grade
Final Examination = 70% of grade